Answers From Leadership Podcast Episode 30

Jon is a Christ-follower first and foremost, and also a husband and father. He’s an engineer by background, and serves as an operations manager for a local branch of a major international building automation company.

I’m excited for Jon to share about his experience stretching and leading in his family and the organization he works for.

Listen To The Answers From Leadership Podcast

Show Notes:

Jon, what else would you like listeners to know about you?

First, thanks for the opportunity to be on your podcast. I’ve become friends with you through the blog world.

A little bit about me. I’m an engineer. I went to school for engineering. Later, I went to get my MBA. And I’m an operations manager for a large manufacturer in Philadelphia.

I love what I do but I also like what I get to do on the side. One of those things is to be a husband. I get to be a dad. I get to be a writer and a blogger. I’ve been doing more speaking lately and that’s been exciting.

I’m also a runner. And I would definitely consider myself to be a leader.

How did you come to consider yourself a leader?

I think I’ve probably been a leader in some form of a leader in one way or another as long as I can remember. I’m not sure if that’s something my parents pushed on me or if leadership was just natural.

But I’ve been leading for most of my life. In Sunday School, I was one of the kids who took charge. I was a leader in school and school plays. I had leadership roles in student government. Even into college, I was leading.

All of those experiences have contributed to who I am today.

So, today I have the opportunity to lead in my church. In the youth group. I’ve also had the opportunity to lead in small group ministries.

What does leadership look like to you?

I think leadership when it’s done best starts from a point of servanthood. Servant-based leadership is really essential to leading a team.

That means getting in the trenches with those you’re leading. Or maybe leading by example.

It also means bringing value to whatever organization you’re leading. You can’t just go and show up. You need to bring something with you.

Why do you think it’s important for leaders to stretch themselves?

As I was thinking of how to theme my blog, the idea of stretching really came as a theme that I thought would be appropriate for following as I write. For me, stretching is part of life. If you’re not stretching and growing, you’re not living the life you’re meant to live. And this applies to leadership.

Do you have anything else you’d like to share with up and coming leaders?

Sure, I think that leadership starts as soon as your career starts. If you really want to grow as a leader, you have to raise your hand. Ask for opportunities.

One of the catalysts for me was that I asked for new challenges. I didn’t wait for my boss to come to me.

I’d also encourage those who are listening to always ask for feedback. When I started as an engineer, I didn’t know very much about what I was doing or the product I was designing. But I did know how to relate to the people who were working on my buildings. In the middle and the end of every project, I would ask those who were working on the projects, How could I do this better next time.

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